Chapel of Santa Marta, Vernazza – Vernazza, Italy - Atlas Obscura
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Chapel of Santa Marta, Vernazza

Vernazza, Italy

This tiny chapel withstood a massive mudslide and flash flood.  

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The Chapel of Santa Marta HornesAbroad (Atlas Obscura User)
The Chapel of Santa Marta HornesAbroad (Atlas Obscura User)
Poster showing the destruction of the 2011 flood, the Chapel of Santa Marta is in the center. Vince Smith
Via Roma, now restored after the flood of 2011. Chapel of Santa Marta in the center. Vince Smith
The front of the Chapel Santa Marta, Vernazza HornesAbroad (Atlas Obscura User)
The interior of the Chapel of Santa Marta HornesAbroad (Atlas Obscura User)
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In October 2011, a ferocious rainstorm blasted Vernazza’s hillsides causing mudslides and ultimately, a flash flood that buried Vernazza’s Via Roma in up to 12 feet of mud.  

The Chapel of Santa Marta, a tiny yet sturdy stone chapel on Vernazza’s Via Roma, withstood the onslaught of water. The determined villagers of Vernazza cleaned up, cleared out, and restored their historic village following the flood.  

Today, visitors can light a candle to Saint Martha at her chapel and on a scattering of special Sundays, even attend mass. 

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June 1, 2022
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